Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's criticism for recent violent protests against the new citizenship law has set tongues wagging in the political circles. General Rawat on Thursday said that instigating large crowds to turn violent and carry out carson doesn't amount to leadership. His remarks evoked strong reactions from Opposition leaders.
Congress:
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said: "I agree General Saheb but also leaders are not those who allow their followers to indulge in Genocide of Communal Violence. Do you agree with me General Saheb?"
CPI (M):
The Politburo of the party said the General has "directly indulged" in condemning the student protestors who have been opposing the amended citizenship law and the proposed pan-India National Register for Citizens. "Army Chief’s statement underlines as to how the situation has degenerated under the Modi government where the highest officer in uniform can so brazenly breach the limits of his institutional role. It is, therefore, necessary to raise the question as to whether we are going the Pakistan way of politicizing the military. Such obnoxious interference in matters of democratic struggles from top ranking military professionals is unheard of in the history of independent India," it said. It urged that the General to apologise to the nation for his "indiscretion" which has extremely adverse ramifications for the Constitutional arrangement in the country. "We also demand that the government takes note of such a breach and censures the General," the party said.
AIMIM:
Maintaining that Army should not interfere in civilian issues, he said by the yardstick, even participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the struggle against Emergency as a student would be wrong. As per Constitution, the army should not interfere in civilian issues and right to protest was a fundamental right, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha member told reporters here. It is known fact and the Constitution also demands that in civilian matter the Army will not interfere... That is the difference between India as a functional democracy and other South Asian democracies please dont interfere in civilian matters... the right to protest is democratic right, he said. Owaisi said the government should take note of Rawats comments which, according to him, are undermining the ruling dispensation.
Whatever the Army chief says it is undermining the Modi Government. It is undermining their government," he said. "If, whatever Army chief says is true, then I want to ask the government, our Prime Minister writes in his website that he participated in the struggleduring the Emergency as student... according to him (Rawat) that is also wrong, Owaisi said. The MIM leader further said Lok Nayak Jayprakash Narayan gave a call to all, including students, to take part in the anti-Emergency stir in 1975 and the government will have to answer that also.
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